Fulton DA discloses ‘personal relationship’ with special prosecutor

ATLANTA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was involved in a “personal relationship” with the special prosecutor she hired in the election interference case against Donald Trump, Willis disclosed Friday.

But in a response filed in Fulton County Superior Court, Willis argued her relationship with Nathan Wade does not constitute grounds for dismissing the racketeering indictment against Trump and 18 co-defendants or disqualifying her from the case.

“While the allegations raised in the various motions are salacious and garnered the media attention they were designed to obtain, none provide this court with any basis upon which to order the relief they seek,” Willis wrote.

A motion filed last month on behalf of Michael Roman, one of the defendants charged in the case, alleged Willis was engaged in an improper relationship with Wade. The motion also questioned Wade’s qualifications to prosecute Trump and raised concerns over Wade being paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022 to pursue the case.

Willis asserted Friday that she has no financial or personal conflicts of interest that constitute a legal basis for disqualifying either her or the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. She also claimed the criticism of Wade’s qualifications “demonstrates basic misunderstandings of rudimentary county and state regulations, and provides no legal basis for dismissal of the indictment or disqualification of any member of the prosecution.”

Allegations surrounding Willis’ relationship to Wade have provided ammunition to Republicans who argue the case against Trump is politically motivated. The Republican-controlled Georgia Senate passed a resolution last week along party lines creating a special committee with subpoena power to investigate the allegations.

State Rep. Charlice Byrd, R-Woodstock, has introduced a resolution calling for the Georgia House of Representatives to vote impeachment proceedings against Willis.

Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has scheduled a hearing on Roman’s motion Feb 15.

Willis sought and obtained a grand jury indictment last August charging Trump with orchestrating an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia that saw Joe Biden become the first Democrat to carry the Peach State since 1992.

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